He is probably one of the most dedicated politicians

From Deputy Paul Le Claire.

SENATOR Terry Le Main may not be everyone’s favourite politician or person. There have been times over the past 15 years or more that I have known him when, I must be honest and say, he’s not been one of mine.

What he is and has been though, is probably one of Jersey’s most dedicated politicians and currently the longest serving. He will retire in the near future, without the final salary pension scheme that all Jersey’s civil service, admitted bodies and manual workers enjoy, despite having served the community since the 1970s.

He will walk into our memories and sadly, it will be his recent resignation, and its cause, which will be remembered by many.

I, however, will remember a man whose telephone was always answered personally, whose responses to emails were always treated with courtesy and honesty even when, at times, they communicated the difficult ‘no’ to my requests.

Wherever it was humanly possible though and within policy, my requests were replied to with the much welcomed ‘yes’. I remember one particular Saturday evening when a constituent arrived at my door in tears because her marriage had broken down and she was afraid of being made homeless with her children overnight.

There were some concerns for her safety as well, in my opinion. I called Terry and he immediately told me to bring the lady down to see him.

It was about 8.30 or 9 pm. By the time we left we had preserved her home life and that of her children and in the weeks to come, she was granted her housing qualifications, which were very nearly due, as it happens.

I know Senator Le Main and his wife Joan not only helped me by making their home open to my calls that evening but they also helped anyone that came to me by doing so, at any time, by adopting that human approach, to a door that was always open. How many civil servants’ doors, I ask, would I have been able to knock upon at that time of day, to help that lady who was in tears? The answer is quite simply none.

Senator Le Main has a lot to be proud of from his long service to our community and those whose lives have been touched in a positive way will vouch for that fact.

Sadly perhaps, Terry, would never ask for anyone to testify to those occasions and I write without his prior knowledge today to you, Mr Editor, to cast instead of a stone his way, a bouquet to him and his wife Joan.

Without their help, dozens of people I have helped in the past ten years, many of them with longstanding Jersey family ties, would not have been so quickly and so effectively helped and housed.

This I am certain I can say would have been in contrast to another politician who could have had the job, who no doubt would have been hiding behind their answering machine.

So I would like to say on behalf of all those who Senator Terry Le Main has helped on my behalf in the past, and to his dear wife Joan, a very big thank you.